


see you again

by IM_abnew



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Danger, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT)-centric, Multi, Sad Mark Lee (NCT), mark deserves the WORLD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22658692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IM_abnew/pseuds/IM_abnew
Summary: “Over and over again. All the mistakes I’ve committed. All the mistakes I may never fix."When a terrible event happens, Mark is scared that he may never get to correct all the faults he's made.
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Mark Lee, Huang Ren Jun/Mark Lee, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Mark Lee, Kim Jungwoo/Mark Lee (NCT), Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Mark Lee, Mark Lee (NCT)/Everyone, Mark Lee/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Mark Lee/Lee Taeyong, Mark Lee/Liu Yang Yang, Mark Lee/Moon Taeil, Mark Lee/Na Jaemin, Mark Lee/Nakamoto Yuta, Mark Lee/Qian Kun, Mark Lee/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Mark Lee/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 22
Kudos: 146





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here's my story I wrote a year ago in my creative writing class, and just never published. There are very few Mark centric fics out there, so I made one! I’ve edited it to sound better, so I hope you enjoy.

Mark was in the common room finishing up his chemistry homework. He has spent the past four hours inside of a little cubby on the 5th floor common room. Music blasting through his headphones, and is completely unaware of his surroundings. He turned his phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ when his phone started going off nonstop ten minutes ago. After the little dispute to say the least, that they went through, he doesn’t really want to read them anyway. He coughs in response to the stuffiness inside the room that's probably in reaction from being cooped up in here for hours now.

In the transition to the next song coming up Mark hears some unknown distant sounds outside of his sound-blockers. He ignores it and blasts ‘I’m Not Afraid’ through his eardrums. He pouts as he thinks of the past week and how alone he has felt throughout it.

  
I haven’t spoken to most of my boys all week and miss them so much, I think at least I do? Donghyuck stormed into my bedroom six days ago outraged that I was being treated like that by my boyfriend, and think its okay to stay with him. In my defense, none of them took my side on the matter, so I was feeling betrayed. Then since it was twenty against one I felt alone. I remember that moment in time very vividly, like it just happened an hour ago.

“Mark stop being so thick-headed and listen to me damn it. He just wants you for your body and you let him take it! I know you, and I know that you weren't ready for anything deeper. I can see it just by looking at you now, but you somehow cannot! You look like a wreck right now Mark, and we both know it’s not just because of your two hour sleep schedule.” Hyuck stomps over to my bed and yanks my light blue comforter off of me, revealing myself.

Physically and mentally exhausted, I didn’t even have time to shield myself, just in my t-shirt and boxers. As he scans my body, his eyes flare up at the sight of the dark hand prints on shoulders, the hickies covering my neck, and the blue and purple bruises decorating my whole entire body. Hyuck pulls me by the waist into his arms and huffed into my neck, shuddering with anger. I can feel the tears from his eyes falling onto my throat. He tightly holds onto me, muttering things under his breath that I can’t understand at the moment. My eyes well up as well and I cling onto to his chest, the same time as defensive words I’m ready to splurge arise. “Its okay because I didn’t exactly say no… and hes been waiting to have s-sex for so long, how could I deny h-him? ” I reply back in a way that makes me sound confused. In which I definitely am, but I won’t tell Donghyuck that. He doesn’t say anything, only shakes his head as he pulls me in closer.

We haven’t talked or texted at all in almost a week now. I miss him. I miss all my dongsaeng’s and hyung’s. I know I also have my other friends like Felix, Vernon, and Daehwi who I could go to, but it's almost like getting rid of the majority of my family.

I started daydreaming; about three months ago, where 21 all of us piled into five cars and drove out to the lake for the night. I bought a large amount of colored smoke bombs and we lit them, throwing them up into the chilly air. Lucas found amusement in chasing me with his dark blue colored smoke to mix it with my hot pink colored one. After many minutes of tag, he crashes into me, making us barrel into the wet grass as purple clogs our sight.

Or how we sat at the edge of our campfire, telling stories for hours into the night. The topic of growing up and going our separate ways someday was brought up, around two or three AM. I remember YangYang saying “we may multiply as a group, but we never subtract” after telling my fear of losing one of them. When we started heading to sleep, myself and the other “dreamies” crowded into one tent and fell asleep on top of each other. I woke up with Jeno behind me, crushing my left leg, Chenle’s head on my right leg, and Jaemin blocking my vision since his face was in my own.

I need to go talk to them tomorrow afternoon. Maybe we can get some watermelon flavored slushies beforehand… I smile at the thought, as well as does my stomach.

I notice that the stuffy smoke smell in the room has significantly increased in the past fifteen minutes. I force myself to tune back into the present when I can no longer think of anything other than the suffocating air.

As I take off my earbuds, sound penetrates my ears. I wince at the harsh noise, flinching back from the piercing sound. My heart starts racing as I turn around to look behind me at my surroundings. The fire alarm is flashing bright LED lights and it’s almost like it’s screaming “DANGER DANGER.” I jump from my chair with shaky legs as blood rushes to my head, making me wobble. Wasting no time, I rush to the entrance of the closed off room. I do a crouch/run for the metal door, wanting nothing more than to be able to breathe in some fresh air. Reaching for the doorknob, I can hear the warning signs in my head saying not to go out there without thinking out a game plan, but my panicked mind ignores it. The knob is slightly glowing as the intense heat of it hurts me, right as I touch it. I screech in pain and fall onto my backside, as I cradle my burnt hand to my chest. Tears well up in my eyes again but for a completely different reason this time around.

My mind goes haywire and I forget everything I learned in my elementary class in Vancouver about fires and how one is to respond to them. My mind hunts for any kind of helpful thought I could use. Do I try the door again? Should I try to break a window? What should I do in this situation? Maybe I should try screaming for help, but I don’t know who’d be in the building at this stage in the fire.

I sure most people would have heard the alarm go off ages ago and have already left, while I got stuck because I was too caught up in myself to realize that the damn alarm was going off. How long has it been going off without me realizing it? Will I get out of here at all? When the firefighters finally enter the building, will all that they find is my burnt corpse? I’m not ready to die yet, I have yet to accomplish anything. I have so much more to do with my life, so much to fix.

I curl inwards, into a ball and start panicking more and more with each passing minute. “What was the point of going through life until now if I’m just gonna die here” I mumble to no one. My skin is rapidly heating up as my thoughts go rampid. Thoughts about my friends run through my head, and how they practically raised me and treated me like their brother. “Now I'll may never see them again” Mark croaks. Great, I lived my life up until now suffering through school with nasty people, only to die without my degree and leave my friends behind

I wonder what my funeral will be like. Will my parents demand that I'm buried in Canada? If they do, will my boys even com- “OH MY FUCKING GOD MARK, SHUT UP” I spit out with my raspy voice, caused from the smoke entering my lungs.

I can’t believe we ended on that last note. I treated them so badly and now we won’t get the opportunity to make up. I rudely just brushed them off with their concerns and explanations, that I now see were very reasonable. I still have feelings towards him, but those may change assuming I live through this event. They all knew I wasn’t ready and that he was almost forcing me to have sex, but in the moment, I wasn’t able to see it that way. How could I when he treated me so nicely; well for a first boyfriend. Thinking about it now, my friends didn’t even know I was gay until I got with this, huge, standoffish, brute older guy. Wow, I should have told them I was gay sooner, especially considering I was out in my home country as gay. Oops.

Get your head straight Mark, you can’t die here. At least without trying to live. My head yells at me; but the smoke has seeped into my brain, and threw me back into my thoughts.

Last week, my boyfriend and I were in my room alone after he was talking about wanting to go further with our relationship. Being barely nineteen and knowing myself, I wasn’t ready for anything else to happen. But he made it seem it's what both of us wanted and how he said “should we really be together if you can’t do this for me?” So I trusted and believed him.

I naturally told my boys about what happened, and they told me their thoughts on the situation. Not being so supportive of it, they said that he was just trying to manipulate me, and then told me to dump him. Being Mark Lee, I ignored them. Told them that he loves me and would never deceive me like that. The next day I met with the rest of our friends and they’ve already been told my situation, which I did not know about or appreciate.

I got really mad with them already having a negative opinion, and no one backing me up on this quote on quote “situation.” I yelled at them when they gave the same reaction to the others the day before.

“Mark why aren’t you listening to us? We’re just trying to tell you that you deserve better than that scumbag!” Johnny tried to reason. I got up and left them that day at our little noodle bar, and haven’t spoken to them since last Tuesday.

They've sent me texts like “I’m always here for you, you know?” or “just come talk to us”, and the best: “when you decide to stop being fucking stupid and naive, come talk to us. Don’t until then”.

So I haven’t seen or talked to them since.

Now I’ve realized how right they were and that I overreacted big time. Now here I am sitting on the ground just waiting for something to happen. I reach back into my cubicle containing all my school stuff, and grab my layered winter coat. It will be unbearably hot but maybe it can protect me from the flames just a little. Coughs come out from my lungs and throat, as I feel my airways begin to get more cramped.

I need to get out. Now. The large jacket folds over my body like a blanket. The raging heat engulfs my entire body and senses. I reach over the wooden desk chair to retrieve my phone. The screen is hot in my hands as I try to unlock it. As I keep holding onto the lock button nothing appears onto the black blank screen. Fuck, it must have shut down from the heat.

I grab my bookbag and empty everything onto the floor. Putting the now useless phone into the main pocket, I bear crawl to the door that isn’t yet engulfed by flames. My heart is pounding like a caged animal knowing that it’s about to be slaughtered. I sling the backpack over my shoulder. Now it's time to face my next challenge; I turn my body so I am face to face with the door.

I ball as much coat sleeve as I am able to in my dominant hand, and try to open the doorknob once more. I open it as wide and quick as I can before I can try to formulate another plan, which in turn will keep me in here longer. Raging heat blisters my hand as I crumpled to the ground more than I already was. Searing hot, little white bubbles and tomato redness bloom over my palm. The pain is so unbearable that I can’t even hear my own wails of agony.  
After awhile, I endure the pain and slip through the wide enough crack I created. I intend to fight for my life. The world’s plan can fuck off today.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 of 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so damn long, and sorry in advance for any rough parts! Enjoy :)

7:07 PM

Outside the uninviting looking dorms, that are currently erupted in flames, are firefighters and disheveled college students scattered across the sidewalk. Police are hurryingly ushering the students further and further away from the flares. The heat of the flames blankets everyone in warmth. 

Under a large willow tree lay 5 boys named Doyoung, YangYang, Jeno, Kun, and Yuta. They’re currently trying to contact 16 other boys who’ve either answered back to them or have yet to respond. 

-

“Okay, so WinWin, Jaehyun, Lucas, and Renjun are currently walking towards us. Apparently, they went to get some dinner around some hours ago. So they’re good” he says with a sigh out in relief. When the five of them returned to the dorms that all 21 of them lived in, he had a full-on anxiety attack and needed to locate his so-called “children.” 

“I texted the groupchat and said that everyone should meet here by 7:45, and for them to tell the others since most of our phones have died already.” They all nod and begin to calm down just a tad more after Yangyang’s words. The group shuffled down into the wet dirt to sit and wait for the rest to show. Jeno exasperatedly falls down face forward and lands harshly. They erupt into laughter as he wipes his face off of the earth. “What the hell?” WinWin exhausts from his lungs as he clutches over.

“SHUT UP.”

Jeno lunges for his legs and tears him to the ground, also bringing Jaehyun and Kun down to the ground with them. 

“This is gold” XiaoJun splurts out, filming it all on camera. 

8:01 PM

“I told those asses to get ages ago” Kun yells, stomping outside, covered completely in the distinct smell of smoke. The sun had set at 7:50, so almost complete darkness had overtaken them by now. The flames to the fire have only continued to get higher and higher, overtaking the whole building. A smokescreen has layered the air surrounding them.

There are now 14 of them sitting outside the building, just waiting. Taeil forcefully grabs Kun’s arm, to sit him down. Without saying a word he takes out his phone to pull open his chats. The Bluelight highlights his face, as he practically is punch typing text to whoever. They all subtly as possible, watch Taeil without knowing what to say or do.

TO: da grass bois (21 contacts)  
FROM: TAIL

Let's all just meet inside SKZ pizza to eat. Now.

All the boys stare at their phones, receiving the messages. No one moves a foot.

“NOW,” he says. They all scatter to their feet and sprint across the courtyard; some racing each other to the entrance of the restaurant. 

Kun stands still and just stares at him as he shakes his head, a grin spreading across his face. Taeil winks at him as they follow the 12 running kids.

-

Mark had gotten out of the room, after the long grueling process of burning flesh; only to travel a few feet before reaching a roadblock. He could not see three feet in front of him, let alone all the impending danger that lies ahead. The smoke and heat made his eyes feel like they’re bleeding, and airways tighten as if twine was restricting them. His coat felt like a ton of bricks weighing down his body, as he curled into a ball to try to logically think; yet fail to do so. 

I need to get out, out, out, out. It is the only urgent thought on my mind at the moment. 

I see embers covering over the walls, threatening to develop into something far worse with each passing moment I stay here. Time is fleeting, time is of the essence in these types of situations, leaving you to rely on human instinct; to survive. 

I jump to my feet, still crouching low to the ground as I run towards the only way I don’t see the taunting, dancing red flames. Like vines, they’re lining the walls and furniture wanting nothing more than to spread onto everything possible.

If I am able to remember anything my pastor said at church right now, it’s “follow the light”. In this case though, it's only theoretical. 

I maneuvered past the houseplant Jaemin brought into the dorm last school year, as we were moving into this building; named Pickle. I knock over the plant on accident and apologize profoundly until he realizes it wasn’t an actual person. Oh my God, the heat and sulfur is seeping into my brain already. I laugh at myself since it was apparently so funny to my brain. I can practically feel my brain cells bursting, even though that's impossible for me to feel; well… at least I think it is impossible. 

I watch the plant burn into ash as it catches on fire. Just like my life is currently threatening to.

I pass the elevator, which has started to melt into liquid metals and emit toxic fumes. Great, more brain damage. I shuffle away from it quickly. Quicker quicker quicker. My mind decides to continue to betray me and keeps replaying the past week.   
Over and over again. All the mistakes I’ve committed. All the mistakes I may never fix. 

I’m not scared to leave this world because I haven’t accomplished anything in my life yet, I come to realize. It wasn’t because I haven’t spoken to my homophobic ass parents since I’ve left Canada. Not because I have yet to become the person I want to grow into.

Because at this moment in time, the only thing that pops to mind is the need to spend more time with my family. I need to watch Jisung get even taller. See Ten achieve his dream of becoming a professional dancer. Watch WinWin get justice for all the shit life has thrown at him. I need to make fun of Lucas for being his giant sized self. To stay up all night with Taeyong creating new raps. To eat cereal on the hotel room floor again with Jaehyun. To watch Yuta… do anything honestly.

To see them all grow as people, and live life to the fullest. My life doesn’t matter if it’s not for them. I couldn’t bear to part with them. 

I reach the staircase entrance, and burst through the door, burning my arm in the process. My tears have yet to stop, and I don’t foresee they will anytime soon. I rush down the stairs, through the smoke. My only source of light are the flashing emergency lights outside the tumbling building. The stairwell is pitch black since the only light source is protruding from the windows.

My legs feel as if they’re moving faster than my thoughts, as I trip down the final few steps. I fall face forward, with no time to shield myself from the impact.

A sickening thud cannot be heard throughout the stairwell. Dark red blood paints the concrete floor as a twenty-year-old lays unmoving. Though he is no longer aware and mobile, the raging fire cannot say the same. 

\--------

Time moves more slowly as twenty boys trickle into the small pizza parlor. Greetings are passed back and forth between themselves. Small conversations about what type of homework needs to be done, or what wants to be eaten fill the air. The last to arrive is the so-called “leader” of their rather large group. Now what seems to be a complete group, everyone sits down to order many large pizzas and sodas to share.

Time continues to proceed forward, with little consideration of slowing down. The lights in the brick store are dim, with the full moon illuminating their faces. Although the mood among them isn’t joyful nor happy, not with their dorm burning to ashes, it's pleasant. While the majority is fine with how the night is going, others seem skeptical. 

“Something's not right, something feels deadly wrong” Hendery whispers in Chenle’s general direction. 

“It’s all fine, don’t worry bout’ it. The feeling is just from all our possessions burning inside our rooms” he says, following it up with his dolphin laugh. Not that kind of off, the more feeling of something important. Instead of voicing that thought, he says: “Yeah I suppose you're right” Hendery echos back. 

“YA! My favorite pair of sweatpants are in flames right now! I knew I should’ve worn them today, but no! I wore jeans”! Lucas huffs, falling dramatically into his seat. 

For the next half hour they stay there, enjoying their night to the best of their abilities.

8:43 PM

Later into the night, the fire engulfed the building head to toe. Lighting up the dark sky and campus with its dancing flames and wicked embers. Residents of the said building have either made way to their friends to sleep or are milling around. The campus is not quiet but neither loud. Fire trucks are parked around the site, with the current task of trying to lower the flames as they continue to send in firefighters.

“I feel so guilty,” Johnny expresses to Jaehyun in English. The duo walks in front of the group quietly speaking to each other. “I just yelled at him. I mean… it is not like I was lying. His boyfriend is a dick, and Mark should know that we all know that. But I still wasn’t sympathetic towards him, or really anything helpful”. Jaehyun nods his head in agreement, looking deep in thought. 

“I think we shouldn’t say we’re sorry for what was said, but more how we acted. Also, we all did kinda push him into a corner by himself, per say. None of us really listened to his side, instead we ignored everything he’s tried to say on the subject. No one was there to hold and comfort him, while the rest of us kinda patronized him.” The two make eye contact, with their eyes expressing how they truly feel.

“Should we go apologize? I miss our crackhead.” Jaehyun nods once more.

The duo stops walking and turns around to the others. The pairs of eyes search through the loud screaming boys, observing everyone they see pass. The 2000’s line runs past them lastly. Johnny hooks his own arm with Donghyuck’s, pulling him back. 

“Hey, where’d Mark go? To the bathroom?” Hyuck’s eyebrows furrowed together in thought. After seconds of silence he answers with, “I don’t- don’t know? I haven’t spoken to him tonight”.

Jaehyun huffs and puts his hands on his hips. So Mark hasn’t said anything to any of them? They really need to talk things through, he concludes. 

“Hey! Where did the Canadian go?!” Jaehyun yells loud enough for the whole group to hear him clearly. Looks of confusion or shrugs spread through them. More confusion and slight discomfort start to settle inside of them all. “Well, who sat next to him tonight?” Taeyong jumps in, speaking directly at everyone. 

The newfound breeze chills them as panic starts to take root. Mutters spread around them all as the 20 of them start to huddle closer together. “Wait… was he even there at the restaurant with us…?” Jungwoo questions. 

“Fuckfuckfuck” “wait what” “where is he then!? “well call him, someone!”

Doyoung whips out his phone at lightning speed, and scrolls through his speed dial list. 

watermelon baby™  
->CALL

The dial tone starts to ring, but after just one ring averts to “this number is currently unavailable”. The groans of all the boys ring through the courtyard. 

“Where is he then, if not with us?” one of them asks.   
“Mark does have other friends, right? Maybe he’s just with them. Nothing could be worse honestly than him being with that fucker of a boyfriend” “Language Jisung!”

Off in the distance, those within 30 feet of the firefighter chief and the upset parent could hear their conversation. “Why aren’t you going in yet? What kind of damn firefighters are you if you don’t go in, and get my daughter?!” the mother cries. “I’m sorry ma’am, but the fire is too strong and blocking all exits on the first level of the building. Trust me when I say we’re trying our hardest to rescue all the civilians in this building”, the man says to the distraught woman. 

“Wow, they’re not even in there yet…” someone behind their group says. They turn their heads, following the man’s voice. Standing a tall six feet is an old man with grey hair and sun-kissed skin. You could imagine him as a happy go lucky man on an average day, but all they see him do today is frown. 

“I believe there to be a boy stuck up there”, gesturing to the top of the building. Not one of them says a thing, not knowing what they could say in this instance. The man’s pupils are shaking with fear for the supposed “boy” in the burning dorms. Gestures and doubting looks are shared among themselves. The old man sees them and shakes his head and defends his statement. “Children I tell no lie, a girl coming out of the building was screaming bout’ a boy who was still in the “lounge” when she was running for safety.”

The air to their lungs runs out. No, it couldn’t be their boy… there's no way it's their Mark trapped in there… 

“She kept repeating the same words to describe him… now what were they again?” he says to himself, trying to recollect the memory. His long, spidery fingers dance along his chin as he struggles to remember. 

We’re just overreacting, Johnny thinks. Mark is probably in some library with his phone turned off, continuing to ignore them-

“AH! I remember now! It was something like “The foreign student… the small… small… small CANDAIDAN ONE!” The man shouts out, almost like he's patting himself on the back for remembering. 

Their faces drain of blood when realization sets in. Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently writing the final chapter, so stay in tune!

**Author's Note:**

> They'll be a final chapter posted sometime within the next week! 
> 
> I was originally going to post all at once but I really just wanted to post some of this already, so I hope you liked it:)


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